


I Do

by WaitingToBeBroken



Series: Idiots In The TARDIS [2]
Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Adventures In Space, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Idiots in Love, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Miscommunication, The Doctor and The Master in the TARDIS, They want to get married, but they are stupid
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-17
Updated: 2019-07-27
Packaged: 2020-05-13 17:15:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 11,336
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19255615
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WaitingToBeBroken/pseuds/WaitingToBeBroken
Summary: Follow the adventures of the Doctor and the Master as they face challenges, weddings, grief, weddings, enslaved races, weddin... wait... Koschei! Sequel to "Wronging Rights or Righting Wrongs" but can be read alone.





	1. I Do... See The People In Need Of A Saving

"We can't marry!" The exclamation mark was clearly visible even as the Doctor whispered the words.

"Oh, come on, Thet, live a little. Pun perfectly intended," Koschei mumbled in his ear before turning toward the... priest... glaring at them, and smiled. The Doctor couldn't say he wasn't impressed with the way the other was handling the whole situation.

Him? Well, he wasn't so thrilled to marry his lover of... how much? Three years, now? How fast did the time fly when you were trying not to get killed. Don't get him wrong, he had thought of it, dreamed about it a few times and okay, yes, there was a magazine he had hidden in one of the many rooms of the TARDIS that specialized in weddings.

Most of it was perfect, the Doctor had to admit. He had decided long ago that if the Master ever accepted to marry him it would look kind of like that. A replica of the human ritual, with all its little traditions. The white lilies and the beautiful little chapel made up for the fact that he didn't get to wear his trench coat. Add the Gallifreyan song Koschei sometimes sang to him in bed and he could overlook the fact that he was considered the 'bride' in the whole arrangement.

But nothing could be able to help him ignore the fact that he was about to be married by a purple octopus in a white mantle. That was holding a gun pointing right at his head.

Just their luck to find themselves on a planet where not being married by the age of 40 was a felony. At least they had been together, as the Master had pointed out a few times since they had caught wind of the situation.

"No matter how narcissistic I am, I don't think they'd have let me marry myself," his lover had laughed and Theta had felt at ease. For about two seconds.

He glanced at his soon-to-be-husband again. Koschei for one thing didn't look like someone was forcing him into one of the biggest decisions in his life, for which the Doctor was secretly, and then not-so-secretly, the grin gave it away, glad. Theta wanted to do it. He really did. But first he wanted his lover to spend a few weeks wondering whether to propose to him until one day he cornered him in their bedroom and straight up told him that they were marrying and the honeymoon was on Earth and then screwing him within an inch of his life when the Doctor said 'yes'.

He might have put a little thought into that...

Just a little.

It was perfectly reasonable to have a suit in your wardrobe that you never wore, just because it was too pretty to be torn to shreds by some angry/hungry/insane alien. Not because he wanted to marry into it. But, damn it, he hadn't been allowed to wear it! It was his big day after all.

Okay, gun. Focus on the gun.

"I do," Koschei said from beside him, hand finding the other's and squeezing it tightly, reassuringly.

Well, there were a lot of other horrors that might have happened to them. And, Theta mused, they could still get a divorce... if Koschei insisted.

"I," he grinned, returning the squeeze. However, his next words were drowned by the deafening sound of something being blown up.

Theta had never been more unhappy by the possibility of saving someone's life.


	2. I Do... Not Want To See You Again

Koschei didn't release him even when they stepped inside the TARDIS, the door slamming behind them, drowning the screams and the pleas.

"Let go of me," the Doctor immediately growled, his glare able to stop armies, make grown men shiver and the Master - to raise his eyebrow.

"I said let go of me!" The voice got louder and with the help of a little yanking at the iron grip the other had on his arm, Theta managed to finally free himself.

"Thet," the Master tried, gingerly, yet with a certain forcefulness behind his words. Almost threatening. The Master was a very powerful man, after all, even if the only people who had come in contact with his madness and creativity for years now had been only those who had hurt his Theta in some way.

It was seeping through the cracks now, something he had promised himself would never happen. He took a step back, afraid of himself, so fucking scared that he would hurt the man he loved in blinding rage and crazy, that was always there, waiting for him to snap.

The Doctor caught it as well. "Don't you dare use that tone on me," he snarled, shortening the distance between them again. He was so close now that Koschei knew in any other case they would be already on each other. Because there was fire in his lover's eyes, but not the one he was used to see or put there.

For a second he wondered if perhaps the Doctor would hit him. Then he saw the lone tear sliding down his flushed cheeks.

His voice was softer now as he whispered,"Theta." The madness and the hunger for violence quieted down as they always did when he was around that calming presence that was his lover. He reached to gather that tear, erase every evidence of sorrow on the other's face and when Theta dodged his caress, his face and heart twisted.

"It's all your fault! We could have saved them!"

He shook his head slowly.

"It was too late. There was no time."

The Doctor was still crying but showing no sign of realizing it. The tears were rolling down, fat and silent, and Koschei would have given his everything not to see this. The accusing glare, the pain and sorrow, the way Theta's shoulders were hunched just like when he still believed the weight of the world had to be on them.

They were sharing that burden now and with every day the other Time Lord looked happier and more relaxed. Koschei liked to think he was the cause. He hadn't realized how easily that progress could be erased.

"You just don't care, do you? You never did."

It was the last sentence that did it, that finally broke the Master. Because it didn't have anything to do with their fight. With the fact he had condemned a whole planet to a slow and painful death. It was the way the Doctor viewed their relationship- like something temporary, something Koschei would someday grow bored of.

He shook his head again, thankful of the back the other had turned on him because now _he_ felt like he was going to cry.

"You are wrong. I care, just not for them. And if you give me a million chances, not matter what, no matter who, I will _always_ choose you before them."


	3. I Do... Regret Everything I Said. Forgive Me.

Thin arms wrapped around his waist and he felt something solid press against his back. He wanted to say he was still angry, still a nervous wreck, twitching and wanting to hit something. That he still wanted to curl in a ball and die. But it was worse than that because he didn't. He just didn't feel anything.

"I'm sorry, Koschei," his lover whispered in his ear, hold getting impossibly tight. Comforting. Possessive.

"I know." The Master nodded. He did. Once the initial anger and horror passed he knew. The man that was now holding onto him so tightly it seemed like he would never let go hadn't meant those words. Theta hadn't really asked that dreadful question because he hadn't wanted to hear the answer.

It was sad though. Ironic and pitiful that he was now mad at himself for not realizing it sooner. Hidden deep beneath the bright smile, the playful demeanor, the words, clever, clever words, that never said anything, not if you listened closely. Beneath that farce was a broken man, so used to being left alone that now when he finally had something to hold on his grip was just a tad too light.

It should have been the other way around, of course, normal people held on tightly to what they feared would be lost to them. Theta never did. He was too afraid. His million times broken hearts were still too fragile to handle it, so small and breakable and yet so strong. Koschei knew what it was to be always alone, to never have anyone with you. But he had never faced the desire to share his life with someone, not until now at least. That was the Doctor's curse. He wanted all yet he was too afraid to take anything. To demand, to cling to it. To never let it go.

Something wet touched his shoulder, followed by a chaste kiss where it had landed, and the Master's hearts skipped a beat. He was terrified to turn around because he knew the sight that would meet his eyes, he knew it all too well. His Theta's face, miserable and pathetic would be the first thing he would see. He would gather the other's sides in his palms, teeth sinking deep in chapped lips when the other man would tremble like he was fighting back the tears. As if showing weakness before the Master was the wrong thing to do.

Before he could do anything, though, his lover's voice drifted to his ear, tentative and low. Words pronounced clearly as if he was making an effort not to chop them up or show the way they trembled in the air just like his body, pressed so close.

"You did what you had to. I know you... I was so lonely before, when I had no one or worse, when there was someone yet they were never clever enough, brave enough, just... not enough. And now that I finally have you I sometimes forget. I miss the fact that I don't need to stand against the universe on my own. That I have you."

"Yeah," the Master muttered, his own voice falling down and then raising impossibly, embarrassingly, high. His hands fell atop Theta's and the warmth burnt. It was pleasant. "You have me. And I'm not going anywhere."


	4. I Do... But Not With You

"Kosch..." the Doctor murmured, taking in his surroundings and mostly the words the locals spoke, fierce, almost like being spitted out and for the first time in... ever... unintelligible for both of the Timelords.

"Yeah, Thet?" The Master looked and sounded as confused as his companion.

"Did you... Did you actually manage to send us to a place where the TARDIS translator doesn't work?!" There was glee in his voice, one which Koschei was happy to ignore for the time being. Instead he mutely nodded.

"This is the last time I'm letting you drive!"

Theta frowned, his attention lost for a minute when a woman in bright robes walked past them holding a stone as big as her head as if it was a feather.

"Remember the planet Nuptia? We almost got married!"

"It wasn't that bad," the Master managed to grumble, flushing.

There was something soft in the Doctor's voice when he said, "Of course it wasn't." But it quickly disappeared with his next words "Not until we got to the planet where Christianity originally came from. They were going to burn us for committing sodomy."

The blush spread from the Master's cheeks to his neck. "You seem to forget that they didn't even know we were almost-married. They were going to do it because of the way you were jumping my bones in every "hidden" spot you could find. In broad daylight."

It seemed that embarrassment was contagious because now the flush traveled from one person to another and the Doctor reddened.

"True that."

It was just for a second but there it was, Theta admitting defeat and the Master's lips twisted into a smirk. Or maybe it was something else.

"Let's go then."

* * *

On second thought, they could have turned around and walked back to their TARDIS. They could have marked the planet as "unsafe" and never stepped on it again, forgetting this whole experience. But _no_. Theta was just too curious for his own good and the Master couldn't exactly tell him he had tinkered with the TARDIS again. Besides, it was kind of his plan for them to look around a planet without being able to understand the local speech.

He was desperate, he knew that. Plastering a scared expression on his face, he followed the Doctor. And maybe overdoing it. Just slightly.

It was going to work this time, though.

It was.

One thing he hadn't anticipated finally caught his eye. It was nothing scary. It wasn't like the time they had been almost-burnt alive. No, the people from this planet seemed to like them. A lot.

Probably because they were all women.

* * *

"For the love of... Theta! Faster!"

Turning around, Koschei saw his lover yet again in the embrace of someone he quickly pushed away. He felt a little thrill of excitement run down his body when the woman met the stone path partly because those women were scarily strong and partly because everyone touching _his_ Theta deserved that fate.

He was too catch up in this momentary victory to hear the words of warning shouted his way or to even see the gang of women right before him. The last thing he saw after his head collided with something cold and metal, definitely metal, was a little chapel on the side of the road. The last thing he though- "That's perfect for..."

Bad karma, he later reasoned with himself. He was full of that bloody thing.

* * *

One would think that being tortured by women would be a child's play. This person would be stupid. Women were vicious when they didn't get what they wanted. Especially green women with 4 hands, each holding a knife, that wanted to know where your friend was so they could clone you both, or Hell knows what, and have wild sex with you. Probably. After all, he couldn't know what those women wanted. But it was clear they wanted his Theta because... well, who wouldn't want his Theta?

He wanted his Theta.

Koschei felt himself flush and it wasn't because of the slap he had just received. That must have been her strong hand because hell, it hu- OUCH, well maybe not her _strongest_ hand.

Tugging at the rope, binding him to his chair, and once again failing to even move it a bit, he lifted his head and bared his teeth at the woman. She seemed startled. Of course she did, what he did was an universal gesture. It was what every caged animal did right before it jumped on its captor and ripped their throat out, not caring what happened afterwards.

The woman understood it, clearer than the Master would have anticipated and it made him wonder how many people had she drove to this point. Far too many, if the alarming lack of males was anything to go by.

Another woman came in the room and he turned his attention to her and the little conversation she had with his torturer. They were watching him too and he didn't like it, not one bit. Like hungry lionesses spotting an injured gazelle. It took him half a second to realize he had called himself a "gazelle" but before he could react to that and then feel the horror that came with it, the first one nodded and approached him. As she started to untie the ropes he realized this was the moment he had been waiting for, his moment! He was going to be free, he just needed to knock them unconscious and run. After all, how much of a challenge would two women be?

The ropes slid down his arms and he lifted his head, a determined gleam in his eyes and a smirk on his lips.

"Arduous" that was the word that crossed his mind as the grey metal bar-like thing was once again flying towards him. "An arduous challenge".

* * *

When he finally regained his consciousness he was standing, and wasn't that creepy, supported by a woman in what he could only guess was the little chapel he had seen earlier today. The woman holding him, The Master concluded, was someone special and that had nothing to do with her colour- a neon green, her extra pair arms or even her admittedly more charming than most features.

No. She had dared drag him to a chapel to try to marry him. You had to be extra crazy to try to pull this off. This or be called 'The Doctor'.

Koschei tried to pry off her fingers but lo and behold, the grip she had on his forearm was iron and one would think that after today he would have at least expected such an outcome. He growled, figuring that if it had worked once it won't fail to do so again, but what he got was a glare and a little hiss that revealed the woman's snake-like tongue.

The Master was rapidly thinking how to get out of the situation as gracefully as he could, meaning with his head and all his limbs in place, and growing more and more weary the longer the priestess in front of him was talking when the doors of the chapel burst open.

'My hero,' Koschei thought darkly at his lover's grand entrance.

And what a sight he really was, walking nonchalantly between the rows of angry green ladies who looked like their lifelong wish was to maim him.

"What do you think you are doing?" the Master hissed when the other man was close enough to hear him. When he got no reply other than a smug smile he tried the other question that was bothering him, "And where were you?"

This time the Doctor decided to reply, cryptic as always. "In the most dangerous place on this planet."

"Oh, I hope you brought weapons."

"I sure did." With a beaming smile the Doctor reached inside his coat and produced a heavy book. The Master sighed. Of course.

However, before he could challenge his lover's definition of a "dangerous place" the Doctor started talking, sounds akin to hissing and grunting alternating out of his mouth. The Master couldn't make heads nor tails of what he was saying but it looked like it had an effect- the green woman next to him, his future 'wife', hastily removed her hands from him as if he had burnt her.

He turned to his Theta and just then realized that everyone was staring at him, hatred as intense as the one directed at the Doctor minutes ago, glowing in their eyes. His lover looked too immersed in his monologue to notice it but Koschei knew better. He was staring at the other Timelord, patiently waiting for the little nod that would mean it was safe to run. Or at least as safe as it could be.

And sure enough, Koschei's soon to be wife hissed, seemingly less interested in the man beside her and more in the one in front of her. All other women took an involuntary step back, away from the future fight. It was the perfect moment, the Master knew it even without the little twitch of his lover's head. He started running.

* * *

"What happened in there?" The Master almost yelled when they were safe back in the TARDIS and already millions of miles away from that dreadful planet. "Did you actually learn their language AND gather enough information to make them hate you? In a day?!"

When his lover did nothing but beam at him he couldn't help but kiss him. He knew, of course he knew, that the man in front of him was a bloody genius but a little reminder now and then never hurt.

"What did you tell them anyway?" he remembered to ask, long after that, as they were laying in bed naked and content.

"From what I gathered they are the ancestors or at least very close to the Eunectes murinus or the common anaconda. They lived on Earth until they... didn't, the records aren't very straight on the matter. They evolved on their new planet, grew bigger, grew hands, only keeping certain habits alive- like the eating the male after breeding to provide for additional nutrients. Knowing that it was easy to make them hate you." The Doctor shrugged. "I told them you were from Herpestidae"

"Herpes..." Koschei opened his mouth, then closed it again. "That's not even a planet, it's Latin for..."

Theta was shaking with laughter next to him as Koschei tried to wrap his head around what his lover had told the snake women. When he finally got it, the most logical thing to do for him was to hit the other man with a pillow.

"You called me a bloody mongoose!"


	5. I Do... I Did

Breathless moans could be heard in the Timelords' bedroom as Theta laid feverish kisses on his lover's neck. His hands danced over the sinful body under him, nails leaving a red trail in their wake, fingers curling and squeezing, drawing the other closer, impossibly closer.

"Thet, come on," Koschei breathed out. He was trying to wriggle his way out of his position but his lover was holding him tightly and preventing him from moving anywhere except even closer.

"Aww, what does my little Kosch want?" The Doctor's voice was childishly teasing, he didn't get the chance of having the upper hand very often, and yet it still sent shivers of excitement all over the Master's body.

Koschei reached over, easily getting away from the hold his lover had on his hands, and, grabbing Theta by the nape, smashed their lips together. It was something that no matter the time and the place or even their position the Doctor enjoyed greatly. And sure enough, a second later the other man was putty in his hands and he could have laughed at how easy his lover was if his cock didn't twitch by the mere reminder of the power he held over the other Timelord. 

Besides, this wasn't the time to gloat over his poor unsuspecting Theta. With one jerky movement he reversed their positions and only then did he let his lips twist in a smirk. Below him Theta let out a low whine, which the other cut short by pushing their hips together.

Koschei was just about to scold him, when the Doctor did the thing that made _him_ wild with desire- hooking his legs around the other's waist, he dragged the Master closer to his thumping body. Hands squeezed his shoulders before wrapping around his neck and a hot breath brushed his ear.

"Want you," Theta whispered and to prove his point tightened his hold. "Want you like that so I can look into your eyes, see you when you come and when we are both sated I want to take you, too."

Koschei's whole body heated up. He tried to will his hands away from the other, tried to stop them from mindlessly running over velvet skin, sometimes squeezing painfully because it was _soft_ and he couldn't get enough and he wanted to be inside that hot warm body but there was something he needed to do. He had to have something and... Theta was touching his neck, kissing his collarbone and then lifting his head, those big round eyes, so dark with lust were looking at him. His hand traveled down, wrapping around the other's neglected cock and he wanted to go down too but the moment he tried Theta kissed him. Feverishly, nails scraping his neck, not that he minded.

"Lube," his lover moaned when they finally parted and of course, that was the thing the Master had forgotten about. This time his hands were more cooperative and they were off the other's body on the third try.

But the one who was stood in the way of getting fucked within an inch of his life, ironically, was Theta himself. No matter what the Master did he just couldn't unlatch that giant octopus from himself. True, maybe he didn't _want_ to... that much. Maybe he liked the kisses on his neck and when he tried to lift himself- on his chest. Perhaps he even enjoyed the teasing hand around his cock, moving lazily and twisting ever so often and oh, so good. He let himself enjoy it, kissing and stroking in return until a little spark of rationality appeared in his mind- why, yes, he could have all this while he was buried deep inside his Theta. He just needed to get to the nightstand, find the lube and... With newly found strength he rolled away from his lover and started searching for that tube filled with magic. But hours passed and he couldn't find anything remotely close to lube.

"I got lonely yesterday," the Doctor explained and didn't that sound hotter than it should. He felt someone kneel behind him, hands wrapping around his shoulders and a head sticking from his left. He certainly didn't register the hard thing poking him in the back and it certainly didn't make his mouth run dry.

"Why don't you use that cream over there?"

The Master glanced at where his lover was pointing and then shook his head. "It's a gift from Elizabeth Bathory for proving her innocent. Don't touch it, I don't like it."

"Koscheeeei." And if the whine wasn't enough to make him reconsider there was the little jab of something hard and impatient, too. Koschei grabbed the cream, noting its deep red colour and wondering why it never bothered him before. It surely smelt weird, somehow... metallic and Theta was spreading his legs, touching himself lightly, light blush covering his cheeks and that was the only red he could bother about in that moment.

The cream felt heavy on his palm and he wondered if he hadn't put too much, all of this time, all their little 'adventures' but one thing had been a constant- they had only ever used lube. And whipped cream, but that had been once. Although Koschei really didn't mind giving it another try.

Burning white pain coursed through his body, he screamed. Funnily, the last thing he could remember thinking later on was, "Hell. She _was_ guilty after all."

* * *

The Master had been unconscious for 10 minutes, lying flat on his back, not moving a muscle, and Theta was starting to panic. Meaning- he had stopped pacing back and forth and wringing his fingers, thoughts a hundred a second crossing his mind carrying solutions to a problem he couldn't figure out and had been reduced to helplessly watching his lover, willing him to wake up with his stare.

Then the worse began.

Koschei started moaning, his body twisting like a snake, bones cracking and joints popping. Theta was by his side in a matter of seconds, holding his hand and whispering soothing words in the hope of him being able to hear them. The rational part of his brain knew Elizabeth wouldn't have given them something that would hurt them, that it couldn't be anything dangerous, but that part had been long since pushed in the corner as his emotions took control.

The Doctor squeezed his eyes shut and gripped his lover even tighter. He was to the point of contemplating if praying to the gods would help and if yes which gods when...

"Where am I?" a thick voice from under him asked, a voice so familiar yet he couldn't quite place it. "Who are you?"

The hand he was holding so tightly was torn away and a pair of dark orbs were staring at him with confusion and detestation he was so used to seeing. His eyes widened when he noticed the little wrinkles on that face, the broad forehead, the frown as if an integral part of _that_ Master. The Master he had last seen in the company of Ogrons as they surrounded his TARDIS.

Theta's eyes traveled over the other's body-true, older than he remembered but just as inviting. For one tiny moment he wanted to kiss and nibble and caress it until the Master gave in. Until he no longer wore his hatred on his sleeve.

"Master?" the Doctor whispered almost to himself.

"That's how I'm known, yes. Universally." The little frown deepened. "Also would you kindly stop staring at me, you impudent primitive."

"Call me Smith," more out of the force of habit replied Theta. It took him a second to realize what he had said and one more to remember the Master knew this alias of his. He winced.

The other man chuckled darkly, a sound Theta had almost forgotten and now filled him with dread. "John Smith, I presume? You are either incredibly unlucky or scarily dull." The Master wrapped his hand around the other's neck and squeezed. Perhaps it bothered him that the person in his hands didn't fight him, but he didn't let it show.

"Now tell me, _boy_ , why am I here? Did you kidnap me, unclothed me and then simply... sat next to me? And why are you pretending to be someone who you clearly aren't?"

With every question the grip around Theta's neck tightened until he could no longer breathe. Realizing that, and maybe the fact that if he killed him he won't get his questions answered, the Master let him go.

"Don't call me boy." There was threat in the Doctor's voice, hiding behind the raspiness and the panic-induced coughs. "I'm so much older."

"Oh? Old enough to be the Doctor?"

"We are time travelers and Timelords. Hasn't it crossed your mind that I might be just a different version of him?" He looked at the other man, willing him to just believe him but the other Timelord didn't even bother return his stare.

The Master shrugged as if he couldn't care less. "Prove it."

"You have a better grade in Cosmic Studies than me."

"Everybody knows that." Technically it was a lie, only a handful people knew, mostly the ones in their class. When they were little Koschei wasn't much for boosting. How things changed over time.

The Doctor racket his brain for something the two of them had shared.

"On the day we stared into the Time Vortex you came to my home. Climbed to my windows and knocked four times. Just like the sound of your hearts. Just like the drums. You said you couldn't stop that noise inside your head, that constant noise inside your head. I held you that night and then we never talked about it."

The Doctor was sure this would be proof enough. He could still remember the feeling of Koschei in his arms, his warmth, the softness of his skin as Theta caressed him. The way the Doctor ran his fingers through his hair and the little sighs the other boy let, the way he _sank_ in the embrace and how he looked when he was asleep.

Only then did Theta realize tears were welling up in his eyes and he brushed them off as soon as possible. He looked up, expecting to see a speck of comprehension on the other's face or some emotion but what he got was a carefully blank face.

"I don't remember such a thing," the Master said forcefully, his mask slipping away only to reveal a glint of suspicion in his eyes.

He was lying. The Doctor knew that, he just did- one of the perks of being in a relationship with the man before him for almost five years. It hardly mattered it was a different man from a different time, some thing never changed. And it was so obvious too, the way he would purse his lips, just like his own Koschei. He was amazed he hadn't noticed it before.

"Yes, you do," Theta accused.

The Master didn't even twitch- having once made the mistake of showing anything resembling emotion now the Timelord had turned his face to stone. It was truly frustrating and a bit impressive. After so many years Theta had forgotten, had let himself forget, the other man could hide his emotions so well.

Sighing, he closed his eyes. He really had no other choice.

"I kissed you that night, when I thought you were asleep. Have you forgotten that as well? Hm, Koschei?"

Heavy silence fell as Theta tried to figure out if he had gone too far. Even now, the memory of what had happened made him fluster. After that the Master hadn't talked to him. Now he knew it was because of the drums but back then he had been certain it had been his actions. And how could he have blamed him- it had been too low of him to prey on the other Timelord's weakness.

The Master raised a hand, turning it as if to slap him and Theta didn't even twitch. He deserved it, he knew that much. And if what the other Timelord wanted was to hurt him, if that would be enough for him to forgive everything said... then the Doctor would gladly take every punch and slap the other had to give.

What made the situation unbelievable terrifying was the fact _nothing_ could make it better.

The hand trembled, fingers first curling into a fist then falling apart stiffly.

"That maybe so," the Master growled through clenched teeth, "but it still doesn't explain what I'm doing here."

"It's a rather long story." Theta gulped, he didn't consider this the right moment to enlighten the other about the things he and his future self were doing. "We were... and I wanted... But then you flipped us around and you took..." The Doctor took a breath. "It's all Elizabeth Bathory's fault."

"Who?"

Of course, back in that regeneration the Master's only concern about the planet Earth was how to enslave it. It was only later, once he realized it was the favourite of his arch enemy, when he took great interest in it and its history.

"Countess Elizabeth Bathory. She lived in the 17th century and the legend goes she used to kill young women and bathe in their blood to retain her youth. We, or rather your old self and I, found out it was actually the Saturnyans and cleared her name. In a sign of good faith the countess gave us a present."

The Doctor nodded toward the little bottle laying on the side of the bed, neglected, and the other man snatched it instantly.

"Be careful." Theta almost didn't have enough time to warn the other man before the Master was squeezing a large amount of the cream on his palm and sniffing it.

"It's blood." At the incredulous look the Doctor gave him, the other Timelord grinned, showing sharp teeth. "I've killed enough people to know, my Doctor. My other self must be getting soft, though, not being able to recognize such an intoxicating smell. Also, although your affection is deeply appreciated your stupidity greatly dulls the effect. What did you expect to happen- I'd regress to my childhood?"

Theta's stomach turned, first from those awful words, revealing past crimes, and then from the mockery which both served as a reminder the man before him was not his lover.

He sighed. "Well, at least we know where to find the antidote."

In a matter of seconds he was off the bed and searching for his pants when he heard the Master call for him.

"There is no need to hurry."

His words were soft, face adopting a gentle expression, not that Theta saw it, opting for dedicating his time on finding his shirt.

"WAIT!" The shout was enough to catch the Doctor's attention and make him stare owlishly at Koschei. "Think logically, bo-Doctor. If she needed to kill so many women then the effect of this lotion is not permanent. There is a high chance by the time we get there it would have wore off."

It was the truth, of course. Moreover, given their current situation, Theta wasn't so sure he was ready to trust the countess by accepting another lotion of hers. And what if she escaped while they were taking care of the Master's predicament... no. The most sensible thing to do was wait for the effect to wear off and then go back for the woman that had openly mocked them by giving them evidence they hadn't done their job right.

Yes. It was the most... Theta's eyes narrowed. He lifted his head and caught the other man's content expression. He didn't like it.

"You have planned something," he accused, watching closely for a hint the other man was not to be trusted and, instead, locked up immediately in their dungeon. Yes, they did have a dungeon. No, it wasn't as kinky as it sounded.

What he got for his effort was a patronizing smile.

"Of course not, Doctor." The words almost sounded genuine. "Come now, it must have been a very long day. Especially for you."

A bark, suspiciously resembling laughter tore from the Doctor's mouth. "You must be insane to think I'll trust you."

"Oh, you know very well I am." There was a smirk on his face as if what he was saying made him proud, which quickly disappeared, leaving an uncharacteristic gentleness. "Come. I won't hurt you."

"You went from almost hitting me to wanting to share a bed with me and you think I believe you. That I trust you enough to just... what? get in there and.. sleep? With you?" Even as he uttered those words, Theta moved to the bed and lifted the covers. It was hard ignoring the instinct to snuggle with the warm body so close to him, as if he was defying an instinct but he stayed put. "Why?"

"Because I'm going to die. Moreover, from a certain perspective I'd have never existed. When I turn back my memories, everything I felt and thought would be irrelevant to _your_ Master, whereas this regeneration would never even know. You have no idea how... freeing that thought could be."

The words were spoken softly and Theta almost reached over to take his hand, to sooth the pain radiating from his whole being. However, there was something else there, something hidden even deeper than the hurt and for a moment Theta wondered what was even more shameful than this weakness for the Master.

"Besides, if I wanted to kill you I'd have done it a thousand times, my Doctor," the Master said, no real heat in his words, mostly to change the subject.

"You think that's not true on my part, either?"

The Doctor's face split in a smile which he didn't even bother covering up. This exchange, right there, was exactly something he and his Koschei would have had and he wondered how similar where those two in reality. Whether, in the right circumstances, in the right time, they could have had what he and Koschei had, just hundreds of years earlier.

And later, in the middle of the night, as strong arms wrapped around him and a beard tickled his neck he had to wonder if the last words this Master had said were regarding this evening, their own special pocket in time, or their whole past together.

Theta sure knew what he, himself, had meant.


	6. I Do... See It Now

The thing that woke up the Doctor, as strange as it may sound, was the cold. He was a space traveler, he had had picnics on the coldest planets that ever existed, picnics that had ended with ice cream and various states of undress. So why did that bother him? As fast as his sluggish mind allowed him to, he realized that he knew that kind of coldness and it had nothing to do with the lack of blankets (which, on top of everything, weren't even missing- instead they were rolled around him as if someone had deliberately done so). No... It was a cold that he hadn't experienced in 5 years, ever since the Master moved in the TARDIS with him.

Every morning, the Doctor would wake up, his lover wrapped around him, fingers dancing lightly on his chest or stomach or even lower if the other was feeling particularly playful. No matter what. No matter where. No matter the fight they had had the previous night. Which, of course, made the Timelord wonder what had changed now.

Granted, it took him far too long for something as significant as this, but the memory made his skin crawl. Yesterday. Not bothered by his nakedness, in all fairness he was terrified there would be no one to notice it, he jumped out of the bed. Million scenarios crossed his mind, from the Master dying from that potion, how hard would it have been for the countess to slip something small in that vial after all, to him waking up as he was and taking off. Whatever it was, there was one thing certain- his Master was gone. And that thought made him want to puke, if the ball of nausea was anything to go by.

That thought was what turned his face into a priceless picture when he barged in the kitchen on his way to the TARDIS control room and saw the Master calmly sipping on his tea, dressed in an old-fashioned suit Theta didn't even know his lover had.

"Ah, you decided to wake up, after all," the other Timelord noted. Quickly, he took in the other's appearance and scrunched his nose. "Although, I do find your choice of attire questioning."

Deep blush spread over the Doctor's face (and neck, and chest but the Master willed himself not to stare too much at those areas) at that comment.

"I woke up and the bed... You were... I thought!"

His arms were flailing all over the place and once he realized it, the Doctor glued them to his side. With that and his blush he resembled a rather awkward looking half red robot. It was the second time the other had turned him into a babbling idiot and they still haven't had a conversation lasting more than half an hour. It was disgraceful how much power the Master held over him even now. Realizing that, the Doctor vowed to not lose his temper, or at least try.

"You haven't changed," he stated, matter-of-factly.

"Oh, as sharp as ever," the Master nodded approvingly, mockingly. "I see that hasn't changed."

The comment made the Doctor draw in a sharp breath and almost open his mouth to retort something just as sarcastic. But he thought better- it would have been a shame to break his promise so early. Instead, he opted for making himself a cup of coffee and with glee he realized the other's eyes were following him.

'Good, let him be the embarrassed one for a chance,' he gloated. He hoped it was just childish stubbornness that made him sway his hips as he walked but he had a strong suspicion it was something more. Which was plain ridiculous because the person sitting there wasn't _his_ Master. He was cold and sarcastic and... okay, yes, he was kind of like his Koschei but it was more like the way Koschei acted with anyone else but him.

A curious question popped in his mind and he decided to test it.

"What are we going to do now, then, Koschei?" He tried so hard not to put emphasis on the last word, it rolled out of his mouth so naturally that he was sure he had done it right.

"Never call me that again, boy!"

But judging from the reaction he got, the clenched fists, the blush spreading over the Master's cheeks he must have done something wrong. Or maybe not. Perhaps it was the ease with which he said it that enraged the older looking.

"Why? And don't call me boy, I told you I'm..."

"Old enough, yes, I heard you. That doesn't stop you from acting like a child. Who in their right mind would fall asleep in the same bed as their nemesis?"

"Who in their right mind would invite them?!"

"Dully noted, I won't make such a preposition again."

"Fine."

"FINE!"

Silence fell over them as the Doctor tried hard not to laugh at how childish both of them were being. Even the Master cracked a smile and wasn't that a miracle?

"I'll... I'll go put some clothes on then," Theta offered, when they just continued to stare at each other.

"That would be the wise thing to do, yes."

The Doctor spend half an hour in his closet, not that he was going to admit it, deciding what to wear. Should he go with something more official to go along with the other's clothes? Or maybe something more... youthful? He didn't know if the Master would see it as an insult to his current state. And the last thing he wanted was for them to break the fragile truce they had formed.

In the end he opted for his faithful brown suit.

"Now you look like a proper gentleman. Although, I do know better," the Master noted with a smile, nodding approvingly as the other Timelord returned to the kitchen. "Would you like some toast with your coffee?"

"Yes, please." And wasn't that picture strangely domestic. The Doctor felt a warmth in his chest, as if his Koschei was there. Until... "Wait, why am I not a proper gentleman?"

"Oh, dear Doctor, I've been here for almost a day now and that's the first time I've seen you with your clothes on. Should I say more?"

The Doctor just grinned, what could he say, the Master had one hell of a timing and there was no point getting all flustered about it.

"Your Koschei is a very lucky man."

Theta almost missed it, he knew he wasn't supposed to hear it. He wasn't even sure the other had meant to say it. When he turned his wide eyes towards the Master, he found him shaking his head, a sad smile stretching his lips.

"Ah, forgive me for intruding on the matters of the heart. I was merely... envious, you could say."

"Of him? You mean to say...?"

"That I wanted you?" A laugh-like huff escaped his mouth. "Dear boy, we all did. Didn't you find it peculiar that every time you changed, I changed with you? Always trying to complete you, like pieces of a puzzle. Granted, I didn't see it until now but he does, your Koschei. He would do anything for you not to feel lonely again."

Overwhelmed with emotions, Theta wasn't sure if he could open his mouth without ruining the moment so he stayed silent. Everything the Master said, it didn't make any sense to him, he couldn't quite comprehend it. Of course, he was certain now his Koschei had loved him before The Year That Never Was, they had talked about it, Theta far too anxious it had been just a game for the other Timelord that he would soon grow tired of. Koschei had assured him with words and kisses and hands and ... yeah, that, no, he was in the relationship for the long run.

Having mistaken the reason behind the Doctor's silence, the Master took a step back, a slight scowl on his face.

"Ah, but I'm just an old babbling fool. Forgive me if I had made you feel unwell."

Theta's eyes widened and he shook his head vehemently. "No, no, nothing like that," he insisted, hand outstretching towards the other and fingers curling around his wrist. As if he was afraid the older looking Timelord was going to run away. Maybe he was? "I'm just surprised!"

"Yes, your Koschei is a bit dense when it comes to emotions. Mind you, I would have been the same had I not just entered the mind of my future self. But he loves you, very much, indeed. With you the dr-..."

The Master's voice trailed off and he smiled. It wasn't a nice smile, all teeth and anger and the Doctor wasn't sure it was even directed at him. Nevertheless, it was the last thing he saw from that Master before he ceased to be.

His body started twisting around itself and Theta felt an arching emptiness as he realized _that_ Master, that shadow from his past would never _be_ again. It was silly, he realized it, he had done nothing but complain of the presence of the other but now when he was finally getting what he wanted, his Koschei, he... What a spoiled child he was, he scolded himself.

The Timelord beside him was already a few inches shorter, blond hair sticking out of the cloud of shifting flesh (they had been to London these past days and dye was the Master's ingenious idea of a disguise), when the Doctor first heard the moans. In the blink of an eye he was next to his Koschei, holding a hand, or at least he hoped it was a hand and whispering soothing words.

It wasn't as bad as the first time, now at least he knew no harm would fall on his lover, but it still hurt, seeing Koschei in pain. Finally, when it was over he could only drag the other in his embrace, rocking them back and forth slightly.

"Hey," Koschei whispered, a bit breathlessly, "I'm all right now, it's okay."

The Doctor nodded but didn't release him or even loosen his hold.

"I'm really not sure what happened, Theta, but it's going to be okay now." Koschei rested his hand on the nape of the other's neck and with the other one he rubbed soothing circles on the Doctor's back. Eventually it worked and he was finally released.

"So." He smiled wickedly, once he was sure there were no tears on his Theta's face and wiggled his eyebrows. "Where were we?"

Sadly, the Doctor just shook his head, scoffed and left him in a pile of his own confusion, misery and unsatisfied libido. He really had no idea what had just happened. But why was he in that clown suit he hadn't worn in centuries?


	7. I Do

Koschei was sick of this. He had done everything he could think of- he had left magazines laying around, he had "let slip" the planets he thought best for a vacation... or a honeymoon. On one memorable occasion he had even let his lover catch him watching one of those mind-blowingly stupid wedding planning shows. And all of this for what? The best he had gotten had been a blush, so delicious under his lips when he had chased it away, thinking the Doctor finally _got it_. But no, the next day it had been as if nothing had happened and the Master was getting frustrated.

Honestly, how could a person this brilliant be so damn... _stupid_!

What did the other Timelord expect from him? For him to just come out and say it?

Weeks passed and the Master realized that this might just be it. His lover was so bloody dense that if he showed up with flowers and a ring and made it so fucking obvious a deaf and blind man would understand, then maybe, just maybe, _Theta_ would get it.

So the first step was finding the best place to propose. That, of course, would have been the field just behind his father's estate, the place they had met when they were so young, where they had chased each other, their screams and laughter ringing in the air. Where Koschei, drums echoing in his skull, had tried to kiss his friend, only for the boy to turn around and run away from him. He knew now it was because Theta had thought he was responsible for it, that he had taken advantage of the other and had put the desire in his head when he was most vulnerable. It was stupid, of course, Koschei had dreamt of this ever since he saw the reflection of the second sun on those gold locks, he had wanted. He hadn't known what yet, but he had _wanted_.

That was the Doctor for you, always ready to assume the blame.

But those fields were gone, destroyed along with their planet. The Master settled on a park in England. Wasn't that Theta's second home anyway?

"Is there a special occasion?" The Doctor scrunched his nose, looking around suspiciously.

"Why do you have to think there is always something sinister behind my actions, my Doctor," the Master laughed, the sound doing nothing to soothe the other's nerves.

"Because I know you?"

"Oh, come now." Koschei lifted the picnic basket and let it swing lightly. "I even packed us a blanket this time."

"This time," the Doctor echoed grimly, remembering his innocent brown suit that was now covered in green blotches after their last attempt at a picnic. Nonetheless, he sat down the moment his lover laid down the checkered little blanket. It was a pleasantly warm day, the sound of children's laughter drifting through the air. He couldn't deny it felt... nice. At least not to himself.

"Well, I did tell you to take off your clothes, didn't I? Besides, as far as I remember _I_ wasn't the one to initiate the whole," the Master smirked at him," rolling in the grass business."

The Doctor rubbed his neck, flushing. The other Timelord looked at him, the way the light played with his hair, his soft features. He thought back on those days on the Valiant, how different his lover had looked. Koschei couldn't help the surge of pride- he had done all of this. Sitting here, with those pesky humans running around them, being so _loud_ , a little box burning the inside of his pocket. It was perfect, or as perfect as it could be with them.

"I love you," he breathed out.

"I love you too, Kosch," the Doctor responded, far too quickly. The Master focused his attention on him, away from the speech he had prepared for this moment, currently running on repeat in his brain. His Theta wasn't even looking at him, his gaze locked on something over Koschei's shoulder.

The Master knew that look. He fucking hated that look.

Even before he turned around he knew exactly what to expect. And sure enough, a great big spaceship floated over London. He groaned, pressing the heel of his hand over his eyes, before he followed his lover to yet another alien- stopping adventure.

* * *

 

The Master was prepared now, nothing was going to stop him. He chose a space ship, one that looked like a proper ship, like the one he knew the Doctor liked. It went on a voyage across the stars that ended with his lover's favourite planet. It was even during a human holiday. It was perfect.

Nothing was going to stop the Master now.

Nothing, but the Doctor.

In 10 minutes he had already made friends with a ridiculously dressed couple and a waitress girl that was looking at him in a way that made the Master want to strip her skin and make himself a jacket. He was running around like a child on Christmas Eve, on crack, and usually the other would find it endearing. Not today, though, with his heavy pocket and even heavier hearts.

"Doctor!" The Master dragged his lover back from following the strange couple. He watched those lips form a pout and resisted the urge to push the other Timelord on the table and erase it.

"But we are going to Earth," Theta almost whined and Koschei reminded himself he had to be strong. He could have lifetimes of this, if he only played his cards right today.

"I know, but I think I found something strange. Back there." He nodded towards one of the corridors, where he had found nothing but storage rooms. All silent and empty. His lie worked, though, as his lover's face split into a smile and his eyes shone with excitement and... wow, the Master was really in too deep, wasn't he?

Besides, there was nothing wrong with the ship, he had checked. Except for the angel statues, they were creeping him out but he chose to ignore it for the sake of his sanity. Just for once in their whole lives they were going to have a nice, normal vacation or so help him Rassilion.

"So, what's in here?" The Doctor was rocking on his heels, his eyes taking in the small storage space the Master had locked them in. He was almost giddy with excitement.

"This," Koschei whispered and pushed him against the door. It wasn't how he had planned it but then again, what was?

The Doctor was gorgeous, his body relaxing against the other Timelord in an instant, his eyes closing. So trusting. _His_. The Master kissed him, hungry and hard and a little bit mad. He pressed his knee between the other's legs and that was all it took for them to open, to welcome him. Koschei tore the other's jacket off, hands wasting no time to burrow under his shirt and touch burning flesh. The Doctor moaned, pressing himself even closer.

"Shh, Thet, you don't want anyone to hear us, do you?" Koschei teased before attacking his lover's neck. He felt a shiver run through the other's body and had to fight his own moan when the evidence of what those words had done to his Doctor pressed against him.

Fingers ran through his hair and yanked his head away from that delicious purple spot before dragging him up and towards the other's warm lips. He almost didn't notice Theta's other hand, an iron grip on his waist dragging him close as if trying to push him under his skin. Dangerously close to his pocket. Panicking, the Master did the only thing he could think of at the moment- he gathered his lover's arms and pushed them above his hands. The Doctor moaned, a choked sound falling from bruised lips as he tried desperately to stay quiet.

"Good boy," Koschei praised, his voice coming out just as wrecked. Theta's head fell back, a dull thud when it hit the door, and didn't he look just perfect. Trembling in the Master's arms, completely under his control, it dragged a low growl from his throat. He dipped down, laying hungry kisses wherever he could reach as his hand traveled down and slowly started unbuttoning his lover's pants. His fingers stayed there, tracing lightly the hem of the Doctor's underwear, unfazed by the soft begging from above him nor the way his Theta was saying his name as if it was a prayer.

"Hush now or I'll stop."

"You _wouldn't_ ," Theta said incredulously, a spark of defiance behind those lust-blown eyes.

Koschei bit his lip. "You want to try me?"

His Doctor stared at him for a second, weighing his options. Finally, he let his head fall back, teeth sinking in his lip. It wasn't enough, the Master mused with what little was left from his brain, he needed to be taught a lesson. Blunt nails dragged a path from the Doctor's stomach to his hip bone, which Koschei grabbed in a painful vice. He was awarded by a chocked whine and he tutted lightly.

"Kosch," Theta breathed out and it sounded wrong. For one, it was not the way the Doctor would say his name when the other had his lips around his nipple. No, there was no desire in those words, that was the voice of reason, the one that _demanded_ to be heard. The Master hummed, before sucking lightly on the little nub in front of him. What he got for his efforts was a strangled gasp and the other arching in his arms, and hopefully no more talk in that voice.

"Koschei," Theta tried again, a little breathless, "there are comets coming our way."

"Mmm. Good for them."

This was not going to be easy, the Master realized, as he dragged his teeth over the exposed flesh. But the Doctor was too far gone, eyes trained on the window just across them and the Master cursed himself for not finding a room with no bloody window inside. Then again, how would he had enjoyed the sight of his lover coming undone under his touch.

"We need to go," Theta stated, firmly.

"Do we?"

"Please?" The Doctor's eyes finally met the other's in a silent plea. He knew how to push his buttons, the Master thought bitterly, before letting go from the other's hands and taking a step back. Theta still looked like he was minutes away from being bent over and fucked within an inch of his life, his hair mused, lips flushed and his jacket hanging limply from his frame. There was still a red print on his wrists, where the Master had been pressing on and the other Timelord had to suppress a shiver from the way that made him feel.

"We will continue this," Theta promised, before opening the door and rushing out.

"You are so lucky I love you," Koschei grumbled to the empty room before following him.

* * *

 

Back in the TARDIS, with all of the Doctor's strange friends saved and another crisis averted, the Master really found it hard to feel happy. The door slammed behind him forcefully, making his lover whip around and face him. Theta's face was radiant, as it always was after a particularly dangerous time, and a flash of guilt ran through Koschei's hearts when he saw it crumble.

A very tiny one.

"I am done with this," he growled, more to the room than to his lover. The Doctor still took a step back, pressing against the consoles.

"Is it because Astrid kissed me? You do know, she meant nothing by it, she was just happy I managed to drag her out of that forklift," Theta was babbling mindlessly, back tensing with each step the other took towards him. The Master just shook his head. He was sick of his plans being ruined by carnivorous plant-like aliens, by golden angel statues determined to slice him with their halo and, above else, by the completely oblivious Timelord he had decided he wanted to share all his lives with.

Finally, he was in front of the Doctor and he reached out for him, hands coming to rest on the other's cheeks and bringing their foreheads together. He was glad to note his Theta didn't flinch from his hands or try to move away. No matter how angry the Master was, he would never... and it was nice to know the other knew it too.

Koschei closed his eyes, focusing on their mental link. It had been too long since they had tried this, and even then it had never been the same, the Master guarding too many secrets he was afraid he might reveal. But now he was opening himself, every single inch of his mind, there for the other to see. He felt the connection stutter, pushing slightly against the Doctor's still guarded mind, before he was gently let in.

For a few seconds only the drums echoed in both of their minds, so much quieter now, like an echo of a ghost, but still there, the Master's faithful companion. Finally, Koschei managed to get them under control and imagined what he wanted the other to see.

He started from the beginning.

He showed him the first time they had met, just children really, the way Theta had looked. He could still picture him, even now, hair in his face, that toothy grin, the outstretched hand. It had been so long ago and yet Koschei had known- this was _it_ for him. He flashed through their childhood, an endless reel of both of them running carefree in the fields, Koschei's hearts thumping loudly in his chest every time they had touched, even if he hadn't known why yet.

He showed him _that_ night. The best and worst day of his life, the day the drums had appeared. The night Theta had kissed him for the first time. The image of young Koschei entered their minds, laying perfectly still, his cheek burning where the other's lips had touched him. How he had felt both of his hearts were trying to climb out of his throat simultaneously. How he had silently thanked the drums, because even then he had known he would do anything for those lips to touch him again.

How next morning, when Theta had jumped out of the bed and pretended nothing had happened, how it felt like he was stomping on Koschei's own hearts.

The Master pictured the other time they never talked about, when they were older and Koschei knew exactly what he wanted. They had been sitting in those endless fields, gazing at the sunset. It had been the perfect moment, and Koschei had cradled the other's cheek in his hand and had pulled him towards himself. The Doctor felt the way his lover's hearts had shattered when younger him had just shook his head gently. He knew why he had done it, could remember the way his own eyes had burnt because he thought he had ruined his friend, that _his_ want had shone through and his Koschei, always eager to please and to make him happy had tried... But now the Doctor could feel the way Koschei's whole body had curled in on itself, as if to escape the pain.

The Master felt tears, burning his hands and he skipped forward. He let the other feel the happiness he had felt every single time he had laid eyes on him, no matter his face. The love he had tried to extinguish because... because the Master was nothing and his Doctor deserved so much more. Koschei let the other see the endless nights he had laid awake, pictures of the life he had now, dancing in his mind, nothing but dreams. The joyless laughter that escaped his throat because who would let a monster have that.

"I have loved you, before I even knew what love was," Koschei whispered, his hands tightening their hold.

Next, he focused on his dreams. Pictures of them, laughing in the TARDIS, flashed before their eyes. Both of them, running from yet another alien or an explosion. Theta, tied up and helpless, his magnificent ass in the air while he begged... The Master chuckled when he heard his lover draw a sharp breath and felt a flush spreading under his palms. He focused on that image just a little bit longer than he needed, enjoying the way the other squirmed in his arms, before moving on.

_Will you marry me?_

The question echoed in their minds, laced with hope and so much love that it made Theta's whole body swell with happiness. Clumsily, he tried to send his own feelings across, poured everything he had ever felt towards his Koschei in their minds. All the years of longing and hopelessness, every time his hearts had stopped when he had been around him. The fact that all his lives, what he had truly wanted, was to be in Koschei's arms.

The Master reeled back from the sheer force of all those feelings inside his head. Certainly not from the fact he had never even dared to dream his Theta would love him the way the other had just shown him. He told himself the way his eyes shone just a little bit too brightly was from the strain of holding a mental link for so long.

He reached into his pocket, fishing around with trembling hands for the little box. The band was simple, thin and silver, a little circular image engraved inside it.

"Forever," the Doctor read out loud, softly. There were tears, shining on his cheeks and Koschei dried them with his lips.

"Forever."


End file.
